Really, Thijs, "just some neighourhoods on the edge of the city."? Hundreds of thousands of Californians were evacuated. Flood or fire, the evacuated still must leave, if even temporarily. This can be done well or poorly. The LOCAL response in NO was largely at fault for the horrors. Proof that race is not the issue can be seen in Louisiana's recent election- Republican, Indian-American Bobby Jindal was elected to clean up the corrupt mess that is Louisiana in general, and NO in particular.

Eric, Mountain View, CA, USA

I agree with Mr O'Flaherty of Sonoma. I am very tired of hearing about how much money California has. First California is as big as most countries so there IS more wealth. There is also more middle class and more poor!
Second--California's Governor was PREPARED TO ACT and
DID! The Mayor was prepared to act and did. The evacuations were done in an orderly manor.
The San Diego people donated whatever they could. If they had no money they donated their time.
I am proud to be a Native Californian and I am proud of San Diego and money has nothing to do with it.

S W Riley San Diego Ca.

Riley, Glendale, Arizona

This is definitely not a race issue. Most of the disaster relief and volunteer effort is local. Socal is a self-sufficient area and experienced only a fraction of the destruction that was seen in NO. FEMA had very little to do in Socal in order to look good.

dt, lake forest, usa

If this indeed a race issue, then the question is where were the professional black masseuses and acupuncturists volunteering their services to their brothers and sisters in the New Orleans Superdome? Keep in mind that the services in San Diego are being DONATED by VOLUNTEERS of all races, not sent in by local, state of federal government. God Bless San Diego for learning from their mistakes during the 2003 inferno. I am a native San Diegan and my children and grandchildren have been affected by this crisis as well as the one in 2003. They are not wealthy or spoiled. They are hard working San Diegans who do NOT believe the government owes them anything. Their hands are reaching out to others to help them, not to the government because they erroneously believe it is the governments job to take care of them. We are grateful for the support of our local government but it is the care we give each other that makes the difference in San Diego.

Susan, Emery, Utah

All the bases seem to be covered well here, but I'd like to bring up a disturbing issue that spans both the NO and CAL disasters. As a Calfornian and a life long West Coast resident, I find it negligent of those in power here did little or nothing to prevent this set of Megablazes only a short 4 years since the last set swept through this area. Nothing has changed dramatically here in terms of weather. We are and always will be a chronically dry, arid climate. But we continue to build communities without logical controls on our impact in these enviornments. Santa Ana's sweep through every fall and we all know they can blow down powerlines.Several of these fires were started by downed powerlines, easily prevented by burying the lines. We also know there are plenty of mentally disturbed folks out there who use this opportunity to start fires. Why do we fail to have proper fire watch outposts, additional watch from the air or ground? We wait until disaster strikes.

Mark Dziak, Los Angeles, CA

There is more right minded spirit in California than in New Orleans...

Hugh, London, England

It's not that California is a rich state, it's that California is a prepared state. From Firefighters to the Red Cross to the California Office of Emergency Services, they have trained, studied and prepared for these kinds of disasters. That preparation paid off and other states and countries can learn from their experience.

John O'Flaherty, Sonoma, CA

Comparing Southern California and Louisiana is a case of apples and oranges. The infrastructure in California is intact; hospitals are functioning, roads open, water supply potable, and power intact.
The local leadership and preparedness are also a quantum leap better in California. One lesson here is that there is no substitute for an effective local response. In the words of the notorious Nathan Bedford Forrest, "getting there fustest with the mostest."

Dale, Winston-Salem, NC, USA

I agree with imj from Abu Dhabi. It definitely has something to do with colour and being a very poor city and state doesn't really help either.
Carole form Austin is right about the fact that the whole city was affected by teh storm and not just some neighourhoods on the edge of the city.
I really hope that the government is really going to help this time with getting people back into their houses and not like with what they did in NoLa, where people are still waiting to get back into their houses. Most of the rebuilding is done by volunteers from all over the country and from all over the world, I myself have volunteerd fro half a year to rebuild houses of people that got no aid at all from the government!
It's a disgrace that the government isn't doing a better job. If you want to be the number one country in the world, take care of your own people first before you "help" other people.

Thijs Haitjema, Zwolle, The Netherlands

The comment from "the outside observer" suggesting racism in the difference in responses is absurd. The real reasons are:
1. The governments in the areas prior to the catastrophes were utterly different, San Diego being extremely well run and New Orleans having been mismanaged for decades.
2. Access to San Diego from the outside for relief was unimpeded, whereas New Orleans was literally cutoff: the bridges on the main roads into the city were torn asunder, the access from the Gulf of Mexico was blocked for over a week, and the people of San Diego came together and helped each other out, whereas the people of New Orleans took the opportunity to pillage, rape and cause untold mayhem.
3. The U.S. government as well as state governments learned many lessons from the Katrina fiasco that has helped them in their response to the San Diego disaster.
4. The governments in southern California quickly went to work and called for help, whereas the government of New Orleans disappeared.

Bruce, Larchmont, New York

Unfortunately, during Katrina, the entire city was devastated and areas surrounding southern Mississippi and South Louisiana were without power. There was no one nearby to come and relieve the folks in the SuperDome which was surrounded by water and inaccessible to normal transportation for three days. San Diego is fortunate that a large portion of the city has been spared and their largest evacuation facility is not inaccessible.

Catherine, El Dorado, AR

You cannot compare a massive fire to a massive flood. The two are like apples and oranges. Anyone who has clung to a small dry spot, with nothing but water as far as the eye can see knows you cannot drive, run or be whisked away. And the same goes for any help. They each have their own peculiar problems.

I do agree though, personal action is the key to surmounting the problem. Common sense....leave when you have the notice too do so. Help others if you can.....and NEVER expect our government will be there to make a difference. Only WE THE PEOPLE CAN!

m.J., Iowa, U.S.A.

As I have heard it from a couple of friends who are living through this horror in San Diego, the most immediate and effective help has come from voluntary efforts -- individual and corporate. So the issue may be cultural, as imj from Abu Dhabi suggests, but the descriptions I have received make it sound like anything but racism. Help is being offered by one person to another without regard to ethnicity, class, or race. I believe that the failures in New Orleans were first local, then federal. I can still see those pictures of empty, parked school buses in the flood waters while hearing the tragic stories of people who couldn't find a way to get out of town. And if FEMA has learned anything, is it racist of them to try to get it right the next time? Should they make sure that they never offer a better level of help than the pathetic error-riddled mess they have made of the Gulf Coast disaster in order to keep things fair and equal?

Lynn Hughes, Bucks County, PA (USA)

The treatment lavished on the victims of the California fires reminds me of the congressional hearing into hurricane Katrina. The venerable Brownie of "you are doing a hecka job Brownie" fame, in one of his combative moments suggested that it was not his job to provide ice to cool the diet cokes of the victims. In a moment that was symbolic of the how little the Bush administration thought about the victims, one Senator then shot back words to the effect: what about providing ice to put on the bodies of the rotting corpses on the street.
This exchange speaks to the reality of how political affilation and racism have combined within the past 6 years to put blacks in their place. Everything that is done in the USA these days is coloured by race and/or political connection - connection to the Republican Party.
Andy

Andy Jones, Smiths, Bermuda

Ms. Marchand is off base in suggesting Californians are treated better because they are rich and have a Republican governor. Californians are being treated better because local and state government CARE about the people and have had emergency plans for many years to prepare for earthquakes, floods, fires, and blackouts. Some of the people above need to put their race card back into their bag of tricks and ask themselves how Louisiana spends its money. New Orleans received millions of dollars in federal funds to prepare for an emergency but spent it on pet projects like casinos. Don't begrudge Californians for having a plan. The people of Louisiana should look to their own leadership.

Carmen, Sacramento, CA

To the outside observer living in the Gulf, I suggest you research the geography of the areas effected by these two very different disasters before you start accusing "cultural and institutional racism". Unlike Katrina/New Orleans, the city of San Diego is NOT COMPLETELY UNDER WATER. Unlike Katrina, the CA fire devastation is mainly inland, and has not cut off major arteries and infrastructure, so rescue efforts and volunteers are able to move around to many evacutaion centers including Qualcomm Stadium. This is not to say that the response to Katrina was what it should have been but it would have been nice if the constant criticism of the U.S. could have been put on hold at least until the fires were out. But as there will always be room for improvement, I vow to work on racism here in the U.S. if you work to stop honor killings, forced marriages and other abuses of women's rights in your region...Deal?

Julie , Los Angeles, CA

The scope of the two disasters is hardly comparable.

And Carole is right, New Orleans is a strange, dysfunctional city. In the aftermath of Katrina, you had a hysterical mayor and a comatose governor doing absolutely nothing to help the situation, in fact making it worse. Bush is actually the one who finally straightened out the whole mess.

gb, Austin, USA

I concur with my fellow San Diegans...people coming together during this catastrophic event to make sure no one falls through the cracks. The massages, the catered food, live bands, etc were all donated from local businesses and local people who wanted to help, NOT something that had to be organized by FEMA.
No one has even mentioned all of the animals that are being taken care of by people who are volunteering the boarding of horses, cleaning up after them etc, thousands of horses, bison, goats, you name it, people are stepping up big time.
I hope you are watching Mayor Nagel.
I too, am damn proud to be a San Diegan-...finding triumph in tragedy does not happen everyday, but it's happened this week in So Cal and I soon will not forget it.

mary, san diego, CA USA

Being from MS and surviving the storm, I can actually say it just depends who is running your state. I know first hand that the majority of ppl here just got out there and did what they could to get back to normal. We rebuilt and in time things will be back to normal again in our state. As they will again in CA. As hard as things seem right now you will make it through this. I am keeping you in my prayers. Best of luck to you all. I also want to add, I pray my friend Shirley Bollin & fam are safe there as well.

Audrey Brickson, Gautier, MS

All of the luxeries and amenities are coming from the local communities. The evacuation efforts are being handled by the state and local governments not the federal government. That is the way it works in the US for better or worse. State and local governments legally need to ask for Federal aid and involvement. The government of California is better prepared, has better leadership, and has significantly fewer problems with corruption than the government of New Orleans and Louisiana. California has done an excellent job in terms of evacuation. All levels of government are working together to fix the situation. During Katrina, the governor of Louisiana and the mayor of New Orleans as well as others thought it was more important to engage in policial power plays than protect their citizens. That's the difference.

Margaret, Seattle, WA

To the outside observer, living in the Gulf, the US response to New Orleans compared to San Diego suggests a level of cultural and institutional racism. If the US wants to live in peace with the rest of the world I suggest that they address this.

imj, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Acupuncture, Starbucks coffee, magazines? To top it all off, Mr Universe himself toured the site and unashamedly proclaimed in his most muscular baritone, "The people are happy". If this was a Hollywood flick it would be comical if it wasn't so pathetic . Afterall, the difference between Qualcom Stadium in San Diego and the Superdome in New Orleans is simply a matter of black and white.

Thomas, Mooresville, NC

I live in San Diego and the big difference between Qualcomm Stadium and the Superdome is that local officials and the people themselves didn't sit around and wait for the federal government and FEMA -- or even the state -- to fix their problems. If we had, the Qualcomm evacuation would look just like the Superdome did by now. Local politicians deserve a lot of credit for taking fast and effective action. But the most important thing has been the attitude of San Diegans. Everyone in the community, whether an evacuee or not, pitched in and everyone took the initiative to fix problems before they even became problems. Next week, things will be back to bickering as usual. But this week, I couldn't be prouder to be a San Diegan.

Mike, San Diego, CA

Ms. Marchand couldn't be more wrong about the reasons for the response.

The response to the disaster is about how the fact that we had a big fire here four years ago and did something about the problems we had last time - just like NO gets hurricanes.

I live 1.5 miles from Qualcomm Stadium. Yesterday the line for volunteers was longer than the line for evacuees. They are turning away help.

San Diegans didn't receive any help from the Federal government until today - four days into the fires. Fires give no notice whatsoever - unlike hurricanes. Many of the evacuees are minorities.

San Diego is different from New Orleans. We are at the corner of the country - Mexico to the south and nothing but desert to the east. We regularly receive no help from anyone because Los Angeles sucks up everything - while we were getting stomped the effort was in Malibu. We have the largest Marine base and the Pacific fleet - lots of ex-military. We are determined to be self-sufficient.

Cary King, San Diego, CA

Oh for pete's sake. The HUGE difference between SoCal and NO is that in NO the entire city was affected by the hurricane. In SoCal, depsite the numbers of displaced, there are only certain pockets of populated areas directly affected. There are vast sections of LA and SD that are untouched by the fires; people are nearby and willing & able to help.

In NO, every pizza maker, Starbucks barista, and masseuse with any sense got the hell out of town before the hurricane hit.

NO is a singularly dysfunctional place; other cities in Mississippi and elsewhere in Louisiana were hit as hard or harder than NO and managed to recover in fairly short order.

Carole, Austin, TX

California has experience with disaster. Earthquakes, floods, fire, we get them all. The difference between California and Louisiana is that local and state governments have disaster plans in place. We don't wait for the federal government to do it for us. The state provides fire equipment to local fire departments all over the state with the understanding that local departments will staff and dispatch the equipment anywhere in the state when it is needed. Just one example of how state and local governments work together.

Bill Spriggs, Merced, CA / USA